James Eugene Carrey is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, producer, author, and artist known for his energetic slapstick performances. Carrey gained recognition in 1990 after landing a role in the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color. He became a star in motion pictures with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. He followed up with Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Batman Forever, and Liar Liar.
Jim Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. His parents are Kathleen, a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, a musician and accountant. He grew up with three older siblings, John, Patricia, and Rita.
Jim Carrey spent his early years in Ontario. Later, his family faced homelessness and lived together in a Volkswagen van. As teenagers, Jim and his brother spent months living in a tent in Charles Daley Park on the shore of Lake Ontario in Lincoln, Ontario. The family experienced financial difficulties, but their situation started improving once his father found employment in the accounting department at the Titan Wheels tire factory in Scarborough. In exchange for living in the house across the street from the factory, Jim and his brother John, worked as janitors and security guards at the tire factory for eight-hour shifts from 6 pm into the next morning.
In 1983, Carrey moved to Hollywood and began performing regularly at The Comedy Store. His immediate career goal was to get on The Tonight Show, and by spring of that year, he achieved it after being booked for a stand-up set on the highly-rated late night show.
Carrey starred in the leading role of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which was released in February 1994 and went on to gross $72 million in the United States and Canada. Following its success and prior to the release of his next film, The Mask, which was expected to be another hit, Morgan Creek Productions paid him $5 million to reprise his role as Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Additionally, New Line Cinema offered him $7 million to appear in Dumb and Dumber, a nearly tenfold increase from his salary from the first Ace Ventura movie. The Mask, released in July 1994, grossed $351 million worldwide. Dumb and Dumber, which was released in December 1994, was another commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide. For his performance in The Mask, Carrey received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor, and he was voted second on Quigley's Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll, behind Tom Hanks.
In 1996, Carrey broke a record as the first actor to receive a $20 million salary for his next film, The Cable Guy. Directed by Ben Stiller, the film was a satirical black comedy, with Carrey playing the role of a lonely, menacing cable TV installer who infiltrates the life of one of his customers, played by Matthew Broderick. This was a departure from his usual "hapless, hyper, overconfident" characters, but it was not well-received by most critics, who reacted negatively to Carrey's change in tone. Nevertheless, he bounced back with his critically acclaimed comedy Liar Liar in 1997, playing Fletcher Reede, an unethical lawyer rendered unable to lie by his young son's birthday wish. Carrey's performance was highly praised, earning him a second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor.
Comments